'Mars' got the money: Now what?

Kristen Bell is shown as the titular heroine in this 2004 episode of "Veronica Mars." Fans have contributed $3.6 million toward the production of a movie version of the show, which had a small but fiercely loyal following.SCOTT GARFIELD, WARNER BROS.

The defunct series "Veronica Mars" made headlines last week when it raised millions overnight to bankroll a reunion movie.

Using the online funding site Kickstarter, the show's creator, Rob Thomas, collected more than $2 million from fans of "Veronica Mars" in a few hours. By Monday morning, the figure had grown to more than $3.6 million.

Pundits were quick to declare that this might represent a radical change in the way movies and TV series are funded, and plans were being drawn up to back a "Pushing Daisies" movie in the same way.

But the Watcher has a question: Now what?

The following for "Veronica Mars" has always been intense but tiny. The series – a serial starring Kristen Bell as a high-school girl who moonlights as a detective – aired for three seasons from 2004-07 on UPN and the CW. Its fans were rabid, but there weren't many; the show drew about 2.5 million viewers an episode.

The Kickstarter campaign has raised a lot of money, but it came from just 55,000 people. So who is going to watch the "Veronica Mars" movie? If it somehow makes it to wide release and sells 2.5 million tickets, it will go down as a major flop.

More likely, the movie will end up airing on the CW, with a DVD release to follow. That certainly will be nice for the "Veronica Mars" fans, who will get another dose of a favorite show and maybe some sense of closure.

But that hardly seems revolutionary.

THE DEVIL, YOU SAY

A mini-controversy erupted after viewers noticed that Sunday's installment of "The Bible" miniseries featured a Satan who looked a lot like our current president. Were executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey making a political statement?

I will admit that Moroccan actor Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni does resemble Barack Obama, but to think that connection is more than a coincidence is pretty silly. The folks putting together an epic-sized production like "The Bible" were unlikely to have had either the time or the inclination to turn the devil's brief appearance into political commentary.

According to statements issued Monday, both the producers and the History channel seemed aghast that people would find any purpose behind the similarity. "Both Mark and I have nothing but respect and love for our president, who is a fellow Christian," Downey said.

FRIDAY FREE FOR ALL

CBS finally seems to have figured out its Friday lineup after juggling the spot leading into "Blue Bloods" for a couple of weeks. The original plan was for the new series "Golden Boy" to start out on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. – the normal slot for "Vegas" – before moving to Fridays at 9 p.m. And so it did – for one week.

Then the network decided to move "Golden Boy" back to Tuesdays and drop "Vegas" into the "Blue Bloods" lead-in. Stylistically, "Golden Boy" seems like a better pairing for "Blue Bloods," but this move was about ratings. "Vegas" has had months to generate an audience, and so far it hasn't – at least not to the demanding standards of CBS. "Golden Boy" hasn't done much better yet, but at least it is new, and the network probably thinks it has a chance to catch on. "Vegas," on the other hand, is almost certain to be canceled and is just playing out the string.

Meanwhile, the fate of "CSI: NY," which had lived in the 9 p.m. Friday slot for three years, remains unknown. CBS has not announced its plans for the 9-year-old series.

TV TUESDAYS

I hope the readers will forgive the Watcher's announced move to Saturdays being abruptly changed to Tuesdays. The pace of improvement and expansion at the Register these days is sometimes so rapid that even we have trouble keeping up.

Kristen Bell is shown as the titular heroine in this 2004 episode of "Veronica Mars." Fans have contributed $3.6 million toward the production of a movie version of the show, which had a small but fiercely loyal following. SCOTT GARFIELD, WARNER BROS.
CBS has 86'd "Vegas" from its Tuesday night lineup and sent it off to Fridays. Next stop likely will be cancellation. Michael Chiklis is shown with Sarah Jones, left, and Anna Camp in this scene from the series, which hasn't caught on with viewers. RICHARD CARTWRIGHT, CBS
Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni portrays Satan in the History channel miniseries "The Bible." Some viewers say the actor resembles President Obama and suggested the show's producers were making political commentary, which they flatly deny. HISTORY CHANNEL

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